Ghost of Darkness
by CEP914
Summary: Ghost, a man with a bad past, has some history with Ranger. When he is offered a hit on Steph, will he help save her life? Will anyone be able to save him in the process? Babe Story. Not exactly Morelli friendly. Rated for swearing/violence/adult content
1. Devon's Bio

A/N: Meet the main character for this story. His name is Devon and you better have him on your side. You're as good as dead otherwise.

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**Devon's Bio**

**Name:** Devon aka The Ghost  
**Age:** 29  
**Nationality:** American  
**Ethnicity:** Italian and Spanish mix  
**Height:** 5'11"  
**Weight:** 215  
**Hair:** Short brown curls  
**Eye color:** Pearl gray/blue. . . I've been told that staring into my eyes is like watching clouds in the sky. But then again those girls probably just wanted to get laid.  
**Weapon of choice:** Gerber Silver Trident. I like knife fighting. Best adrenaline rush. Getting close enough to get slashed but moving quickly and efficiently enough not to let it happen.  
**Languages:** Spanish, Japanese, French, Italian, Russian, German, Gaelic, Hebrew, Italian, Swedish, and just for kicks Latin.  
**Body Description:** Toned but not bulky. Light tan. Mass of scars on my chest from where someone tried to rip my heart out. Don't worry, my heart was undamaged. The guy who tried wasn't so lucky. Random scars from past missions and contracts. There is also a dark birthmark on the right side of my hip that strangely looks like a set of wings, proving that God has a sense of humor.

**Last movie watched:** I don't watch movies, read, watch TV, listen to music, or go out for fun. My time is better spent in a gym training my body to kill. _I see that look_ but in my world it's kill or be killed. I won't go down without a fucking fight.  
**Greatest love:** The fight. The high keeps me going sometimes.  
**Greatest fear:** Caring about people. Having feelings only leads to destruction.  
**Favorite quote:** They only win if you let them.  
**Boxers or Briefs:** Boxers.  
**After-hours personal Car:** Silver Aston Martin Vanquish DB9.  
**What's in your closet?** I don't have just one closet. I move around a lot. Got a house to stay in for practically every major country. Better to be safe than sorry. They're all filled with the basics like knives, handguns, sniper rifles, shotguns, and tasers with some grenades, a couple flame throwers, and restraints thrown in. Clothes come and go but weapons are keep me alive.  
**Coke or Pepsi?** Neither. Water or beer.  
**Pino's or Shorty's?** Haven't been to either of them.  
**Favorite food?** Don't have one. I'll eat anything that won't make me sick.  
**Sexiest part of a female?** Her neck. So soft and delicate. . . Perfect to kiss or kill.  
**Sexiest thing a woman can do?** Keep fighting. Never give up.  
**Do you like your women tall or short?** Neither, I prefer somewhere in between. Makes things easier.  
**Do you like kids?** No. They're annoying.  
**Do you want kids?** No. They'd be a liability.  
**Do you have kids?** No. Wont and cant. Got myself neutered a long time ago.  
**Do you have any siblings or are you an only child**? I used to have an older brother.  
**Who is your best friend?** I don't have friends or family. Ties to people lead to complications.

**What is your idea of a 'perfect date'?**  
I don't date. I find a girl if I'm bored, fuck her at some hotel all night and leave when she passes out. _Don't give me that look_. At least I don't leave her with the bill.

**Share one story from your past that you think impacted the person you are today.**  
I watched as my brothers head was blown off when he saved me on a black op. Every life I take is for him. I don't need saving anymore. I'm the one you need saving _from_.

**What is your most prominent childhood memory?**  
I was a scrawny brat that always got beat up. Kev was always saving me from something/one when I couldn't defend myself. Which was nearly every week. He was always saving me. Even until the bitter end.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Not making any money.

A/N: This is for the AMAZING MerryMan contest on RWE. Devon happily lives in the darkness. Can anything or anyone bring him out?

Warning: **THIS WILL BE A BABE FIC**. It may not seem like it, especially in later chapters, but please bear with it.

Hope you like it! Thanks for reading.  
-Cyn

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**Ghost of Darkness  
Chapter 1**

I must say that although I've had my share of women for targets, the one in my scopes lens right now has to be the most interesting. She was beautiful in a simple way. Mass of brown curls, small chest, round ass, sun kissed skin barely covered in a red tank top, a pair of flip flops, and jean shorts. Nothing really stuck out about her. She was just a seemingly random girl walking her orange blob of a dog. But it's only in her eyes that she is a random woman. To everyone in my line of work she is _his_. The one true weakness that he has. After the Scrog incident it became very clear just how far he'd fallen for her. Stephanie Plum managed to do what many thought was impossible. She got Ranger to love her.

Reflexively my finger tightened a hair on the trigger.

I could easily solve this right now. Make Ranger's life so much easier. He would thank me in a couple years. The pain would dissipate to other areas. It would make him stronger in a way. He'd know enough this time to never make the mistake of loving someone again.

Stephanie was right in front of a small row house now. A man, her cop boyfriend, opened the door and the huge dog she was leading took off towards him. He moved out of the way just in time, letting the fur ball fly through the open doorway. Seconds later it was back wrapped around his legs.

Stephanie was still rooted in place in the yard. Her eyes swept around the neighborhood. She paused by my area but I knew she would never be able to see me from this distance on the roof building, blocks away. The cop must have said something to her because she turned and quickly walked into the house. I could just picture her locking the door as if something as feeble as that would protect her.

I smiled at her naivety. I had to give her some points though. She has some good fucking instincts. Not many people have been able to feel death so close to them. I am the Ghost. You fear me, try to hide from me. Nothing and no one will be able to help you though. I'm an invisible force. I can penetrate any wall that is created to get to you. And when I do, you better pray to God for a short death.

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After I packed and loaded up my rifle into my car of the week, a black 4x4 in honor of the main man himself, I headed down to Rangeman. Oh the sweet joy of seeing Rangers face when I tell him everything. It's not often an average man can surprise him. Then again, I'm not exactly an average man now am I?

The drive was short and done in complete silence. Can't say I thought about much either. Driving is my way of relaxing. My mind basically goes into standby. I can process where I am, what I'm doing and where I'm going but other than that it's like someone clicked my off button. Doing this calms and recharges me.

I drove right up to the gate and used my key to get in. It's funny how Ranger thinks his codes are completely safe inside this place. I hacked into the system and downloaded the newest ones a few hours ago from a hotel in Argentina. I can access any part of the building now with one click of a button I'm not supposed to have. Aint life grand?

There was an empty spot near the elevator. Swiftly backing into it, I shut the car off and got out. The elevator was already here with its doors open. Guess daddy knows I'm here. I got in and waited patiently as I was lifted right to the 5th floor. Ranger and Tank was waiting for me when I stepped out. Without the preliminary greetings, Ranger turned and started for his office. Tank waited until I moved to follow before moving in behind me. You'd think they didn't trust me. I think my feelings should be hurt.

Oh well.

Ranger sat behind his desk while Tank's back was pressed against the closed door. I sat without being invited and smiled at the main man. "How's life?"

He completely ignored what I asked. "What do you want Devon?" His voice was tense.

"Now now Ranger," I put my right hand over my heart, "what makes you think I want anything? Cant a guy just come and visit some old pals once in a while?"

He actually sighed and I'd swear I heard Tank make a similar sound. "Cut the shit Devon. I don't want, nor do I have the time, to deal with your games today."

To piss him off further, or to tell him the truth? That_ is_ the question. It was hard to decide since I'd get joy out of both but time is always an issue.

I smiled and slouched in my chair. "You got it man," I said nearly high with excitement. "It seems you've been a bad boy again Ranger." I watched with glee as his face went blank.

"You got a hit on me?" he asked slowly. I heard Tank shift and I knew he had his gun pointed at me.

"Put the gun down Pierre," I practically snarled. Having a gun pointed at you can ruin anything. "No, I wasn't offered a hit on you. Or any of your men," I added after a second thought. His shoulders relaxed slightly. "It's even better actually." My smile was back and even wider. His entire body went still. "It seems your little girl toy is paying the price for you."

There was only a few seconds pause that I was able to brace myself when the words finally clicked. Ranger launched his body over the desk and had me pinned to the ground. I let him get one punch in before I easily reversed us and had my right arm wrapped tightly around his neck and my legs in a vise grip around his arms and body. In my other hand I was pointing my Mauser M2 at Tank, who was only a couple feet closer.

My voice was quiet when I spoke, all traces of humor gone. "I let you get one shot in because I probably deserved it," I just wish he hadn't split my bottom lip open with it, "but if you go after me like that again I'll fucking put a bullet in you and your buddy, understand amigo?"

"You'll be dead before you can try," Tank spat out.

I dug my fingers into Rangers hair, getting a good grip before tugging hard, forcing his neck into a bad angle. "Not before I snap his neck." I tightened my grip when Tank's muscles twitched. "Call off your guard dog Ranger."

"Did you . . . kill . . . her?" he barely managed to wheeze out.

"If I killed her I wouldn't be here, now would I?" As an act of good faith I, slightly, relaxed my grip on his neck.

Ranger took a second to think about that. "Put your gun away Tank."

Reluctantly Tank did as he was told and helped Ranger up when I swiftly released him. I gave him a minute to collect himself as I grabbed some napkins that were on his desk, probably from his lunch, and pressed them to my bleeding lip after running my tongue over it. It wasn't that bad of a cut, just a centimeter or so on the right side.

We all went back to our earlier positions before and got back down to business.

"Who?" Ranger asked.

"I'm still working on that one," I told him honestly. "They offered me two million, half up front to be wired into my account. The other half wired when I completed the task. In exchange for that more middleman were put in between us."

His eyes went black at the thought. "Time period?"

"Three days from the transfer. You got a day and a half to prepare for the others."

The room went silent for a minute. "Why didn't you fucking call?" he exploded, standing up and smacking his desk with his hands.

"I wanted to see her." That was the truth. Stephanie Plum is practically a legend in our area. Plus I just wanted to fuck with him.

His hands gripped the desk. "Take Bobby and get her here Tank."

"Boss," Tank began but was cut off.

"Now." Ranger voice dropped low and hard as he glared at his mountain of a friend.

The door opened and closed. He stared at it a moment before focusing back on me. "You saw her?"

I nodded.

"Talked to her?"

"Kind of impossible from the distance."

Ranger understood immediately what I meant. It took him everything he had to not go after me again. "Stop fucking with me Devon. This isn't the time."

I tipped my head in acknowledgement and stood up. "When I have the name I'll call you."

I was almost out the door when he spoke. "Devon," he paused unsure, "have they hired others by now?"

Turning back around, I just looked at him. The answer was obvious to us both. If that much money was offered right up front there was no doubt I wasn't the first or would be the last person they contacted. This was pure hate and revenge. They would take no chances.

"Fuck," he swore loudly. I knew what he was going to ask before his mouth even opened. This woman was definitely under his skin. His eyes showed everything. "I need you man. I need Ghost. Nothing can happen to her." His voice dropped low. "I can't lose her like this."

"I kill people Ranger, I don't keep them safe."

He walked over to me and laid his hand on my shoulder. "You know I wouldn't ask if I could help it. You have more connections to this and I'll need all the men I can get."

After thinking about it, more like letting him stew in his rapidly declining pride, I shrugged my shoulders. "Guess I could try something new."

He nodded and tightened his grip in thanks before releasing me.

"Let's get my Babe safe and take it from there."

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A/N: So what do you think of Devon? Will he really help Ranger? Or does he have something up his sleeve?


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Not making any money.

A/N: This one is kinda short but I liked where it ended so you'll have to wait to find out what happened! Thanks to everyone who reviewed before! Sorry if I didn't get to responding to you personally.

Hope you like it!  
Cyn

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**Ghost of Darkness****  
Chapter Two**

"We have one free apartment on the 4th floor, do you want to stay there?" Ranger asked as we waited for Tank to arrive. They were only 3 minutes out by now. Stephanie, although surprised and worried, came willingly when Ranger called her asked for her to come here with Tank. He even went so far as to say please. What the hell kind of person is he turning into?

"No. I got a place set up," I responded, not looking at him.

He glanced towards me but didn't say anything.

I hadn't planned on him asking me for help but I had planned to stay and watch how things turned out. Whether she lived or died I really couldn't care less about but the mercenary in me had to know who my competition was. I had an idea of a couple players but hadn't had the chance to look into it yet.

Lester popped his head in the office door glaring at me – fuck you too buddy – before looking at Ranger. "They're on their way up boss."

Ranger nodded and Les disappeared from sight. The world would be a better place if he disappeared from life.

We made our way silently to the elevator. The wait was only a few seconds before it dinged and the doors slid open. Tank was in a corner, arms folded against his massive chest. His face was blank. Bobby, who was in the middle front of the elevator, stepped out to make room for Ranger and I. When he did Stephanie came into view. Her eyes were focused solely on me. Her face was a rapid succession of emotions. Worry, disbelief, distrust and finally anger.

"It was you," was all she said, glaring with everything she had.

Everyone in the room froze at her words. The quiet shuffle of paperwork in the room stopped completely.

Her instincts were better than I originally anticipated.

"Babe?" Ranger moved a hand towards her but she ignored him and stepped right up to me, poking me in the chest.

"It was you," she said again with another poke. Ranger's body tensed. "What were you doing watching me, huh? Are you some kind of perv or did Ranger set it up?" Another poke.

I looked down at her finger, poised and ready to strike again. My voice was calm when I spoke. "Poke me again and you'll lose that finger."

She snorted. "Yeah I believe that one."

My eyes found hers and whatever she saw made her flinch slightly. "Ranger you better teach your woman who she's dealing with before I have to."

"Touch me," she said before Ranger could speak, "and I'll cut your balls off and shove them down your throat."

"Babe," his voice was low with a mixture of humor and disbelief, "let's handle this up on seven."

"I want to know what he was doing watching me," she said undeterred.

"How do you know it was me?" I asked innocently. "I just arrived in town not very long ago."

She shook her head. "It was you," Steph said confidently. "I don't know who you are or why you would do it but it was definitely you."

"How?" I asked, not interested in playing that game anymore.

Her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth unconsciously. "You make me feel the same as I did earlier."

"And what do you feel Miss Plum?" I asked, leaning down closer to her face.

Moments ticked away as she stared at the floor, no longer willing to look at me. "Honestly," she said with a pause. "I'm scared." Her eyes found mine again and I could see everything in her bright eyes. "You scare me and I don't even know you. I don't like being scared."

"No one does." With that I straightened and walked past her into the elevator Tank was holding open. I leaned against the back wall. "You guys coming up or do I have to do this without you?"

Ranger placed his hand on Stephanie's back and led her in. The ride was short and quiet.

Seconds after the doors slid open I was lounging comfortably on the couch. Ranger had taken Steph into the bedroom to explain things in private.

Tank was left out here with me. He was like a dog pissing on his territory. Just plain pathetic. "You fuck with her in any way and the guys and I will find a way to kill you."

The thought made me smile. "You know what will always make me better than you Tanky boy?" When he didn't say anything I continued. "You and everyone here are trained to kill the _enemy_. Me," I paused for a second, "well I'm just trained to kill."

His face was one of disgust. "I'll keep it that way thanks. I actually like having a soul."

"Oh I have a soul," I said with an odd little smile, "it's just as black as my heart though."

"You have a heart?" Tank laughed. "Never would have guessed that one."

"Leo tried hard to remedy that," I lightly touched the scars hidden by my shirt, "but you know how that ended."

The laughter that was on his face seconds before disappeared. It was replaced by relief and a tiny hit of respect. "Leo was a traitor. He deserved to die slow and painfully."

"Oh he did," I said softly with a smile. "I made damn sure of that. Took me hours to clean up all the blood."

We both fell silent thinking back to a time not so long ago.

_"Any last words," I asked while taking a bite out of my half eaten apple._

_Leo, known as Leopard for his amazing speed, was hanging from a cement wall deep beneath my home in southern France. His arms were shackled high above his head; his feet were barely able to reach the floor. Blood, old and new, pooled around both our feet. His entire body was covered in lacerations, burn marks, and studded with wooden skewers. Well what was left of his body anyways. I had started with his fingers; taking off inch by inch of each one until his palms were all that were left. Next came his toes. After that I was tempted to skin him alive but that didn't seem good enough. Instead he hung on the wall for weeks. Each day I'd find some new way to torture him. I never repeated something twice. I had to give him blood transfusions when I got carried away a few times. In the end he was nothing but a heap of torn flesh and bones._

_Leo was minutes away from dying. There would be no blood transfusion for him this time. After almost two months of being chained to the wall below my house, where I could enjoy the screaming peacefully, I finally decided it was time for him to die._

_He struggled to lift his head, exhausted from blood loss and starvation, to look into my eyes. "I'll say . . . hello to . . . Kevin. . . for you," the bastard managed to wheeze out._

_I finished eating my apple and tossed the core onto the metal table behind me. I walked closer to him and smiled. "Wrong words Leopard. Worst fucking thing to say. I was just going to slit your throat but now. . . "_

_In a flash I pulled my Gerber blade from its sheath on my side and slashed his stomach wide open. Blood poured out as he fought to stay conscious. With exact precision I made another deep cut right under his ribs. Slowly, I pulled my right sleeve off. He watched in terror as I traced the newest cut with my bare hand._

_"It's been fun." My fingers pushed inside his pathetic body. I savored every second as I pushed my hand up under his ribs, reaching towards his heart. It was hot and heavy in my hand. Its beating was slowing incredibly fast. My fingers curled around it, contracting at its pace for a moment as my eyes found his. "Enjoy hell," I said smiling before I dug my fingers into his heart. Unable to scream anymore, guttural noises made their way out of his throat._

The bedroom door opening brought me out of my thoughts. Ranger had his arm wrapped around Stephanie as they walked towards us. Her eyes were puffy and her nose red. The woman practically had a death grip on the hand around her.

"Why didn't you pull the trigger," was hardly the first thing I expected her to ask when they were in front of me.

I looked at Ranger but his face was perfectly blank. Since he wouldn't help, the truth it was. "He," I moved my head towards Ranger, "owes me now. Doubly since he asked me to help you."

"You're a killer. Why should any of us expect you to actually help?"

At least that was a simple question. "I told Ranger I would."

She snorted and shook her head in disgust. "Like you have morals. You kill people for a living. Excuse me for not believing you'd happily watch a bullet blow my head off."

I couldn't help but stare at her. Since Ranger had told her who I was and what I did, this woman standing in front of me with unnatural fire in her eyes was one of two things. Very stupid for talking to me like this or tired of the drama that is her life and deciding to take it out on me. Either way she had better knock it the fuck off.

"You know," I replied slowly, "If you keep this attitude up I'll make it so you can't talk, got it?" She actually took half a step back into Rangers arms when my dead eyes found hers.

"Ghost," he growled and tightened his grip around the girl.

"To answer your question though," I said ignoring him, "my word is everything to me. Once I give it, that's that. I don't betray people like that." My voice had become as dead as my eyes. "If you don't want me around I'll happily get the fuck away from you but if you want to actually live, I suggest you suck up whatever it is that's making you such a fucking bitch right now because I'm the best honey. You'd already be dead if it wasn't for me. You will be dead if you keep pissing me off."

The fire in her eyes lessened, now just embers slowly burning out. Her lips opened but whatever she was about to say was cut off by Rangers cell ringing.

He looked at the readout before answering. "Make it fast."

Whatever the person on the other end said was not something Ranger wanted to hear. His blank face slammed on as he flipped the phone shut. "Morelli is on the way up."

I grinned wide. And here I thought I missed the show. Turns out I got front row seats.

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A/N: Uh-oh. . . Wonder what Morelli has to say? And what exactly went down at his house earlier?


End file.
